Mondelēz on track with sustainability targets, healthy lifestyle and nutrition program expansion

A farmer from a Mondelez community in Ghana drying her cocoa beans.

Mondelēz International is making solid progress in achieving its 2020 sustainable agriculture and environmental footprint goals, reporting advancements in reducing CO2 emissions, water usage, waste and packaging. The 2017 Impact For Growth Progress Report also details the Group’s global expansion of healthy lifestyle and nutrition programs in at-risk communities as well as illustrating how the company’s impact programs align with and support the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

Mondelēz focuses on four areas to create a positive impact for people and the planet: Sustainability, Well-being Snacks, Communities and Safety. In each area, the company has specific goals where it continues to make progress and scale efforts to deliver meaningful change.

“Having a positive impact on our planet and the communities we do business in is core to who we are as a company,” said Dirk Van de Put, Chairman and CEO, Mondelez International.

“We’re producing snacks more sustainably, with less energy, water and waste; and sourcing our key ingredients in ways that reduce deforestation in our supply chain. We’re empowering farmers and investing in community programs that help improve the well-being of children and their families.”

Here are highlights of the company’s 2017 progress:

Sustainability
– Reduced absolute CO2 emissions from manufacturing by 10 percent.
– Reduced water use by 25 percent at locations where water is most scarce.
– Eliminated 53,500 metric tons of packaging – achieving 80 percent of the 2020 goal.
– Increased the impact of Cocoa Life, the company’s sustainable cocoa sourcing program, reaching 120,500 farmers (up 31 percent vs. 2016) in 1,085 communities (up 26 percent).
– Promoted environmentally sustainable practices in wheat production across Europe through its Harmony sustainable wheat program, achieving a 20 percent reduction in pesticide use.
– Expanded the company’s Harmony sustainable wheat commitment to now source 100 percent of its wheat need in the EU by 2022.
– Maintained 100 percent RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) palm oil goal; with 96 percent of its palm oil traceable back to the mill.
– Achieved 15 percent of global eggs sourced were cage-free; on target to use 100 percent cage-free eggs in the US and Canada by 2020 and in the rest of the world by 2025.

Well-Being Snacks
– Grew well-being brands at twice the rate of the base portfolio.
– Delivered 12.8 percent of revenue from portion control snacks – individually wrapped and 200 calories or less; and on target to achieve 2020 goal of 15 percent.
– Reduced sodium by 1.4 percent across total snack portfolio and 2 percent in Oreo globally; reduced saturated fat in Barni soft cakes by 13 percent and in Ritz and TUC crackers by 2 and 3 percent respectively, and reduced sugar by 1 percent across global belVita and by 5 percent in Green & Black’s chocolates.
– Doubled the amount of whole grain in Club Social crackers in Latin America.

Safety
– Reduced Total Recordable Incidents by 33 percent and Total Incident Rate by 27 percent for all employees.
– Certified 91 percent of external manufacturers and 98 percent of suppliers against the Foundation for Food Safety Certification 22000, a well-respected Global Food Safety Initiative system.

Communities
– Allocated more than US$45 million to healthy lifestyle community partnerships, impacting the lives of 1.5 million children across 18 countries by increasing their nutrition knowledge, providing opportunities for physical activity and access to fresh fruits and vegetables